Immutare
by Avelona-and-Sally
Summary: We know that if Hinata goes back in time, her main goal is Naruto's happiness. Now how about a Naruto whose primary reason for being back in time is Hinata? One who doesn't really care to act like his usual dead-last self, and who certainly doesn't have qualms about using makeout sessions as positive reinforcement. NaruHina, time travel.
1. Chapter 1

Naruto breathed.

Something he always loved about Konoha was its air. Must've been the trees – fresh oxygen, coming in from thousands of leaves every day. Breezes rolled by every few moments, carrying the scent of food from a restaurant, or steam and soap from the bathhouses. And the people – Sakura had a habit of using fruity, cherry-smelling shampoo, Hinata a different, flowery, sweet-smelling one. The few times he'd been hugged by Jiraiya, he caught whiffs of a cologne that was subtle, but would probably smell appealing to any woman that got close. Kakashi smelled like dogs.

Konoha was quieting down after the alarm of that afternoon. Streetlights came on, restaurants opened their doors. He imagined the jounin sensei were meeting up for drinks to talk about the students they'd be assigned, or maybe it'd just be Kakashi, Asuma and Gai. The three were close, and Asuma and Kurenai's relationship status wouldn't necessarily mean she was part of the group. She'd always struck Naruto as a very womanly woman, anyway, and guy time probably wouldn't be something she'd try to join.

Iruka, on the other hand, was enjoying his evening at home, blissfully free of any injury and mulling over the oddity of his student, while Mizuki was cooling his heels in a cell somewhere in Konoha's T&I. Neither had been too pleased with Naruto's dramatic revelation, for different reasons.

"_Of course I knew, you dumb traitor! We're not best friends, but the fox and I share a body – what kind of idiot doesn't know there are two people inside him?"_

Well, him, for one. But all that was past, and now he could sit peacefully in one of the training fields, tease Kurama's chakra enough to get the fox ready to wake up from its self-induced hibernation (standard if your host didn't know about your existence; the silence would make anyone go mad otherwise) and enjoy the cool, fresh Konoha air. For now, everyone was still on his side, though he'd earned himself a lot of mistrust – he _should've_ been approaching the Hokage to talk about this if he'd figured it out. He should _not_ have been pretending to be a complete idiot if he actually knew what the hell it was he was doing, or at least he shouldn't have been pretending to his teachers and the Hokage. Thankfully, the Mizuki incident was enough to point to as proof that not everyone in Konoha had his best interests at heart.

The swishing leaves above the field did a good job to cover up the sound of quiet footsteps, but he'd been alert from the beginning, and turned to look for his primary reason for being here. Hinata was good at being unseen, a born tracker. But not quite at the level _he_ was used to, which meant spotting the washed-out tan of her jacket was easy, even for him.

"Hinata?" He watched her tense, ready to run and pretend she hadn't been there, but then she gingerly stepped into the clearing.

The woman he knew hadn't been outgoing, but she'd certainly stood taller and fidgeted less. He hadn't actually realized how _small_ she'd been when they were genin; he knew he'd been about Sakura's height at twelve, but Hinata was much slighter than either of them. Or maybe it was the jacket.

"Hey. How've ya been? Wanna sit with me? The stars are about ta come out." He plopped down where he'd been before, leaning back and watching the treetops, trying to take the pressure off her. She wasn't very good with it right now.

"O-okay," she tentatively sat down by him, taking turns looking at the ground and at his face, never actually looking for the lights. "Y-You passed the exam?" He saw her eyes linger on his forehead protector.

"Yeah," he let his voice stay low. It was _very_ lucky she'd found him; he hadn't had any idea how to approach her otherwise.

"Are you alright, Naruto?" she asked, voice quiet.

"Can I tell you something?" he asked, keeping his eyes on her face even when she averted hers. "I've…kinda been lying to everyone." He watched her eyes widen and watched her hunch in on herself some more. No-one liked being told their hero wasn't sincere. He kept going, "See, when the Fourth defeated the Kyuubi, he didn't really kill it. He just sealed it. Into me." The stars really were coming out now, blinking hellos from behind the tree branches.

Hinata had gone still and was staring at him, pearly eyes wide. "H-How can that…?"

"Lots of countries do it," he explained, "It gives them weapons, makes one more strong ninja, or makes sure that Tailed Beast can't be used against them. The difference here is that the people of Konoha _really_ hate the Kyuubi, so they don't like me too much, either."

"Oh." He could see her working out the way people ignored him.

"At first I was just really mad at the fox, y'know?" He said, turning to her, "But I'm guessing the fox didn't really _want_ to be sealed into me, so that's kinda pointless. But then I started thinking – if people avoid me just as is, then if I actually seemed like I knew what I was doing, then…"

"…they might become afraid," she finished for him, white eyes boring into his. _This_ was the girl he knew – Hinata was smart, careful and competent.

"Yeah."

"You've been failing the exams on purpose?" she asked, sounding hurt.

"Most of them. But, y'know, I figure even if I _do_ fail, I'll just get up and try again, right?" he grinned. And watched her give a small smile back. "I'm gonna be Hokage no matter what – a few stupid tests won't stop me!"

And there it was. Hinata didn't grin, but her smiles had a way of lighting up her whole face. Naruto loved giving in to impulse, especially when it involved things like this. He leaned in and kissed her – eliciting a surprised squeak. A few seconds later, a red-faced Hinata was on the ground in a faint.

Naruto turned back to the stars. He breathed.

[-M-]

Hinata blushed when Naruto scooted closer, finding her hand and grasping it. At her gentle squeeze, a grin split his face at the seams and she seemed to like it, ducking her face, but smiling.

Around them, students were engaging in excited chatter. The eight he focused on in particular were doing as expected: Sakura and Ino were arguing; Shikamaru and Chouji were sitting in silence, one munching chips, the other watching Ino; Kiba was preoccupied with Akamaru; Shino was observing the group; Sasuke was ignoring everyone. And Hinata was, of course, sitting beside him, exuding waves of happiness.

"I think you'll be with Kiba," Naruto said, keeping his voice down to avoid drawing attention from others.

She turned to him, "Why do you think so?"

"He's an Inuzuka, so he's probably going to be a tracker. Konoha doesn't have too many teams for that – with your Byakugan, you'd be able to help each other sufficiently. Another good candidate would be…" He made a show of looking around, "Shino. His bugs would also work for tracking."

"You think I'm a tracker?" He could tell she wasn't enthused. Tracking wasn't as glamorous as Neji's combat team, or what he knew Hanabi would be destined for – spying.

"You're really good at it. You've been following me around for a few months now, haven't you? Sometimes it's hard to tell if you're there," he said with a smile.

Her blush darkened in embarrassment, "S-Sorry; I don't mean – "

"Nah, it's fine," he said, "It's just like a training exercise, right?" He let her nod, relieved that she took the out. "I could only imagine what Sasuke would say if he found someone spying on him. Though…" his eyes wandered to the two girls squabbling over the chair beside the Uchiha, "I don't think he'd be too surprised at that…"

To his surprise, Hinata giggled, "I know that it's a bit weird, but I admire Sakura and Ino's courage to say things like that out loud."

Naruto shrugged, "Out loud's well and good, but we're ninja. We're supposed to be subtle, aren't we?"

She again surprised him, with a small laugh, "Not everyone can be as 'subtle' as you, Naruto-kun. If everyone took that route, we wouldn't get anywhere."

He gave her hand a squeeze, rewarding the brief courage, "I think I'm doing just fine."

Which got the blushing going again, leaving him to look around the room. Iruka walked in soon afterwards, tapping a clipboard with a pen and looking surprised that Naruto was holding the Hyuuga girl's hand. He pushed onwards, though, and gave out the team assignments. Hinata looked resigned to tracking, but seemed willing to give it a try. Naruto turned his attention to the pink-haired fangirl and the avenger; the latter was deliberately keeping his eyes on a bit of floorspace to Iruka's right, Sakura was looking for him to send him a glare and seemed surprised to see him with Hinata. He gave her a grin and a thumbs up, which she ignored.

[-M-]

Trying a team lunch with Sasuke and Sakura this early on was useless, but Hinata's teammates were ready to give Team Eight a go, so Naruto left them to it (Hinata received a peck on the cheek in front of both boys before he left, which, he was proud to say, only left her swaying on her feet and not actually passed out). The only thing there was to do now would be to find something to read while he waited for Kakashi. He had enough time for a leisurely stroll home to grab _The Gutsy Ninja_ and then plopped down next to Hinata back in the classroom.

At her questioning glance, he grinned, "Our sensei's chronically late; this is to read while we wait for him. Have you read it?"

She shook her head, and he obligingly opened it to the first page, scooting until his entire left side was pressed up against her entire right. He pretended not to notice her raging blush, and read calmly, asking her if she was done with the page, then turning it, drumming his fingers against hers or stroking his thumb over her knuckles.

The task of turning the pages was left to Hinata after a while, though he did have to stop her once – "Geez, Hinata-chan, I can't read _that_ fast," – to get a bit more communication into the act of reading together when it looked like she was getting more into the novel than into him. For all intents and purposes, this was a date. In front of their entire academy class. Hinata's meekness was something that needed to be worked around, and he knew that he was one of the best ways to do it. At this rate, by the time the Chuunin Exams rolled around, she ought to be staring Neji down just as well as he could.

Too soon, though, Kurenai was there to collect her genin, and he again wished her luck by giving her a kiss on the cheek. This time, though, it wasn't just a smirking Kiba and quiet Shino who could see. Ino and Sakura were both raising their brows, Shikamaru was watching out of the corner of his eye and Kurenai was fixing them with a calculating red stare. Should the jounin sensei bring it up, Hinata would have to explain herself – or would have to explain that she didn't have to explain herself. He again wished her luck, silently.

After some team with a kid in a bandana was collected, Team Seven was alone, and Sakura came over to ask him if he and Hinata were dating.

He gave her a smile, "I hope so," he said, "But I'm not sure. Girls are confusing." He pouted. His acting skills weren't as good as those of someone who had a Sharingan (Sasuke was the exception to this; he just…sucked.), but they were certainly enough to fool a schoolgirl.

Sakura seemed to take his confusion just fine. "I think you are. The important thing is to make a good impression. Ditch the jumpsuit," she advised.

He frowned, "Thanks, Sakura, but I'll ask if I need advice." Too unlike the dead-last, a little too tactful, but neither genin seemed to notice. Whatever – he was planning on Team Seven seeing the 'thoughtful' Naruto, anyway. He ought to let more of himself show, though the more extreme side could wait until duress.

He returned to his book and left the two of them to stew. When Kakashi entered, there was no eraser to fall on his head, but he _was_ greeted with two vicious glares and an unimpressed glance over a book.

"My first impression is…I hate you. Meet me on the roof."

Sasuke gracefully jumped out the window and used handholds to follow their teacher and Sakura shakily followed him. Determined to set himself apart, Naruto speedily climbed the stairs, meeting three unamused gazes when he got up there.

"Gonna make your teammates wait?" Kakashi asked.

"I figured you wouldn't mind so much," he said, "Since you were so late. And, anyway, what do we have stairs for if all we're going to do is hop around outside?"

Kakashi turned his attention back to the team, "Well, then, my name's Kakashi Hatake. I have many likes and dislikes…my dreams and goals are none of your business…and I think that's about it. Next?"

"Well…I'm Sakura Haruno. I like…" she blushed, looking in Sasuke's direction, "My dreams for the future…" she blushed again, burying her face in her hands and giggling.

Naruto watched Kakashi sweatdrop, then coughed. "Uh, well, I'm Naruto Uzumaki. I like ramen, being a ninja and Hinata-chan. I don't like washing dishes or shopping, and my dream…" He paused. He was here mainly for Hinata, but saying anything like that would seem a bit obsessive. "I, uh, guess I wanna make Konoha the best it can be?" He shrugged, "I'm twelve, gimme a while to think about it." He turned to Sasuke, aware that Kakashi was filing away his laidback attitude for the future.

Sasuke didn't look at any of them, but kept glaring at the floor. "I don't have a lot of likes…in fact, I hate many things… My _ambition, _because it _will_ be achieved, is to kill a certain man."

Naruto was aware of Kakashi watching their reactions and let a skeptical expression take up his face. _This_ Naruto wasn't gonna take the vow of a twelve-year-old seriously.

They were all advised not to eat dinner and to show up bright and early the next morning at their designated training field. Which left Naruto with enough time to henge into a busty redhead and get a discount on a small box of cinnamon rolls. Depending on how Hinata's team introductions went, it could be time to initiate their first makeout session.

[-M-]

It was probably rather suspicious of Naruto to invite Hinata to his house last night, but in the end, it had all worked out rather well. The girl was sleeping contentedly in his bed (still a virgin), he was trying his hand at making pancakes, and the Hyuuga were likely none the wiser, given how little attention Konoha paid its children, and how little attention the Hyuuga paid Hinata, in particular.

Anything involving a skillet usually was usually easy for him to serve up – it seemed all the easy things were made in a frying pan: eggs, potatoes, boxed dinners. Pancakes, however, were not one of those things. The fourth almost-black one had him hissing oaths, but luckily, Hinata's appearance put an end to it. At his behest, she took up the spatula and soon a tower of perfect, fluffy flat cakes was forming at her left. Naruto's pouting and mumbling about beginner's luck only served to improve her already-spectacular mood.

Kurenai's orders were to meet at nine in the morning and Kakashi's were to do the same at six-thirty, though Naruto knew they would also be meeting with the Copy Nin at nine, so after breakfast only a few kisses were exchanged before Hinata went on her way home to change and Naruto headed for Training Field Seven to finish _The Gutsy Ninja._

Sakura angrily asked him why he was late by an hour and a half, but he just shrugged, gesturing to the empty field, "You see sensei around anywhere?"

Kakashi _did_ show up eventually, though, brandishing his bells and boxed lunches, and gleefully crushing any hopes the young genin might've had of pushing through as a team. Or so he hoped.

[-M-]

The grin that spread across Naruto's face wasn't something he really let people see. But it was useful in this case, since it usually gave them the impression that there was a lot to Naruto that they didn't know, and that was what he wanted. Both Sasuke and Sakura were intrigued by the sudden deviation from the norm, and the girl ate up his explanation about teamwork being the answer, while the avenger reluctantly swallowed it in short bursts.

[-M-]

"Just _what_ do you think you are doing?" Kakashi said menacingly.

Naruto scoffed, "They're eating lunch. I didn't follow your bogus no-breakfast rule, but they were trusting enough to, so while I distracted you, they got their strength back. Now we're ready to kick your one-eyed butt _as a team!"_

Kakashi seemed to be having a hard time deciding whether they passed or not, but they did, and the surprised looks Naruto got from the other two genin were a good sign. Better they begin taking him seriously now than later, when it could be a danger, if Sasuke defected again.

[-M-]

The fox wasn't happy to be woken from his slumber. What could a gangly preteen possibly know that would interest him?

Lots. Lots and lots. Kurama was salivating at the prospect of revenge against Madara, or Obito, and Naruto was glad to give it to him. Both knew they had to be patient, had to bide their time and choose their steps cautiously, and neither particularly trusted the other at this stage, but there was excitement in the air. Good or bad, _something_ would be happening soon, the Wave mission being the first upcoming event that the Nine Tails would play a part in, and that was enough for the chakra beast, for now.

With the promise of a fight in a month's time, Kurama settled down to sleep again.

[-M-]

At this stage, Hinata was a well-meaning but useless fighter. Which sucked.

As a tracker, she was well ahead of the game. Had the Hyuuga ever been interested in anything more than her ability as a fighter, they would've discovered that Hinata had a talent for remaining unseen, and seeing what people tried their hardest to hide. Granted, with Byakugan, that was a given, but it came to more than that: small scuffs left by ninja sandals, pupil dilation, the direction a woman's legs crossed at a table. Things that people _could _brush off as coincidence, but ninja knew to never take as such.

Naruto wasn't worried about Hinata's advancement with Team Eight. She'd do fine with them – better than fine, as tracking was what they were being specifically trained to do. But such specification left little time for combat; it was assumed each member was practicing outside lessons in addition to what they did with their jounin sensei, which meant that the occasional combat assessments instead of extensive training made sense. But Hinata's practice would've been with the Hyuuga clan, devoid of any encouragement and certainly devoid of any use of her natural talents.

Therefore, Naruto thought as he dodged a senbon, his intervention was needed here as well. Another senbon hit him near the collarbone, causing a stinging sensation somewhere in his left pectoral muscle. She was getting pretty good with those. It was probably time to move on.

[-M-]

During training, Naruto continued to play up his 'thoughtful' side, usually being the one to propose alternate (and occasionally gruesome) tactics to win on the rare occasion Kakashi had them working on something other than combat. Sakura was usually the one to come up with plans during D-ranks, but that didn't stop the Sasuke from glancing his way and expecting him to say something. He considered being more violent in his pursuit of Tora, whenever that one came up, but decided against it, guessing malevolence wasn't what the Hokage needed to be seeing from him with the whole Kyuubi thing being thrown up into the air.

Alongside the day-to-day problems, he had the dilemma of whether or not to tell his team about his jinchuuriki status. To strengthen the team? Or would it make things awkward? Maybe after Wave. After they'd seen what the Nine Tail's chakra could do.

[-M-]

Ordinarily, Hinata's blushes were a bit of an annoyance, a reminder that she was much shier than she would be, but considering _where_ this blush was, he wasn't complaining too much. It turned out that she chose to wear a tank top under her jacket today, leaving a lot of skin for him to leave hickeys on, once the jacket came off. He could feel her get a bit panicky once his mouth got lower, but he kept his teeth mostly on her neck and collar area, only leaving a small red mark where her breasts began, and she took it well.

He was especially pleased when _her_ mouth found _his_ neck. She wasn't quite as forceful as he was, only giving gentle bites, but under the influence of encouraging sounds and sentences like _"Woah, _Hinata…" she did leave a rather impressive mark on his neck. What really got him excited was when her hands got under his shirt; despite their general aversion to his boxers, her nails grazing his hips were just as distracting as he remembered. So distracting, in fact, that he ended up finding a bruise on his back from picking her up and dropping into a more comfortable sitting position against a _tree._ He had a couch – _why_ did he choose to do this in a park?

And he grudgingly admitted liking the cool-down bit, too, because cuddling with Hinata tended to be fun. He'd find out about ticklish spots he didn't know she had, thumb wrestle or play rock-paper-scissors, chat about the day... It was a pretty great way to get her to open up. He definitely had a girlfriend, and she was on her way to becoming the woman he knew. Wave would bring about another opportunity to keep her growing – it would give her some incentive to try harder in her training (not that she wasn't already. She was Hinata, after all). He decided to come back with some scars – better he be the first one to get them than her.

That being decided, he gave her a squeeze and brought his mouth down to blow in her ear. She giggled and he kissed her temple, and, finding that her mouth wasn't too much of a detour went there after. No, he thought reverently, mouth returning to the spot above her cleavage to leave a darker hickey, he didn't mind her blushes very much at all.


	2. Chapter 2

Hinata liked Naruto. Especially his kisses.

Idly, she wondered if maybe doing this on his bed wasn't the best idea. …But he was _really_ good at it, and she didn't want to stop.

She wasn't exactly a natural at kissing, she reflected. The first few times were fine – she just kept moving her lips against his, in a kind of rhythm. But then tongue came into it, and it all got a little more complicated. Naruto was very nice about it, though, breaking apart and telling her patiently that she just had to move hers in circles and it'd be fine. At this point she knew her face was very hot, but she didn't want to faint again, so she pushed past the dizziness.

Which was a very good decision, because, apparently, after tongue came hands, and _that_ was something she definitely needed to be awake for.

Naruto didn't help her with this one, leaving her to figure out what to do with hers. His were on her waist – he had one leg up on the bed for balance, and she mirrored him to help with the reach (she liked how he kept moving his thumb over her ribs; it tickled, but in an okay way). Hers…just stayed where they were. One on the bed, the other in her lap. It felt a bit lame, and she kinda wished he'd tell her where to put them, since he seemed to be such a professional, what with the tickling and the gripping-just-tight-enough-that-she-felt-like-a-_girl,_ but he stayed quiet. Mostly because his mouth was busy.

That didn't last _too_ long. Once it became apparent she didn't know what else to do, Naruto pulled his tongue out of her mouth, put his hands back on the bed and gave her a few kisses before stopping.

"That was really nice," he said, grinning, "Wanna do it again sometime?"

She nodded, bright red but smiling, and, surprising herself, took his hand. And then they talked. About their teams, about their Academy classmates. About her family. About the Kyuubi. She wasn't sure how it could be possible – they'd never spoken to each other before yesterday – but it was the least awkward thing in the world. Maybe that was just what it was like to talk to Naruto.

[-M-]

Naruto pushed her harder in her training than _anyone. _And he made her push herself harder than she'd ever thought she could.

Because when she didn't get something, like a flip or a block, he wasn't disappointed or indifferent, like her family, and he didn't shrug it off, like her teammates. It wasn't exactly a case of 'not a problem, try again'. When she didn't dodge fast enough or push past hesitation with her strikes, he seemed…upset. She couldn't exactly describe it – it felt like a kind of frustration, _I know you can do it, so why aren't you?_ Which, while stressful, she also found could be a spectacular motivator. _He knew_ she could do it, why _wasn't_ she?

Senbon were pretty easy for her, though, with her eyes. And they were very useful for making Naruto slower and stiffer in his movements, both huge disadvantages, they'd found, when it came to fighting her. From the look on his face, he'd realized it was easy for her, too, which meant they'd be moving on to something different soon. She'd keep a few senbon on her from now on, though. They worked.

[-M-]

She'd _finally_ figured out her hands. If she just kept moving them around his general torso area, or gripping his shoulders when he picked her up, she was good. She liked putting them in his hair, though, so she tried to avoid situations where she was off the ground, even if Naruto liked keeping his arms around her. His lap was often the best option in these cases.

True to stereotypical boy form, Naruto was fascinated with the skin her tank top was showing, leaving lovebites all over her neck and collar, and making her stiffen when they went lower (because if he asked her to get shirtless in a forest, they would have problems). She did her best to keep up, spurred on by how his breathing got heavy and his mutterings of her name, and, with some guesswork, left a fairly dark hickey just below his ear. Probably not a very convenient place, but neither was her entire neck; she hoped he'd get some teasing from his teammates about it if she had to endure Kiba wiggling his eyebrows again.

After a few more kisses, they cooled down. In between deep breathing and mutterings of "One, two, three, four, I declare thumb war…" there was some talking about the day, some teasing, and a lot of cuddling and hair sniffing, the latter mostly from Naruto. She did enjoy the scent of his shirt, though. Sometimes, though, Naruto would get quiet. The same kind of quiet from that day in the clearing. The 'I'm hiding something' quiet. She tried to ignore it, instead dominating his opposable digit while he was distracted.

He was back to her soon enough, with more kissing and staring at what little of her cleavage the shirt exposed. She couldn't decide whether she should bear a few hours of discomfort and try to do this again sometime with a proper bra, just to see his reaction, or if she ought to wear something high-collar to dissuade any more sucking on her neck. Due to the look on Naruto's face, the former was winning out.

…

…

A/N: Just a quickie I felt like writing in Hinata's P.O.V. Let me know if you're okay with me posting these here, or if I should just save them for tumblr, since they don't advance the story.


	3. Chapter 3

Naruto was upset. No, not upset.

There were _actually_ no words to describe how fucking _pissed_ he was. Being from the future, he'd expected his ability to foresee things would've been a whole lot better than this. He'd vastly underestimated his effect on Hinata's bravery and what makeout sessions did for intimacy. It was all well and good when they were sixteen – they were _true_ ninja, veterans, then, and intensity was just the way life was; you enjoyed every drop of your ramen, every hit you landed on your opponent, because your life expectancy was highly reduced and you just didn't live half-assed. Even Shikamaru was one hundred percent invested in his cloud-watching.

But now(Naruto had some difficulty scowling with the rapidly increasing size of his canines, but he managed it), _now_ they were twelve. Forget all the shit Team Seven went up against at twelve, _Hinata_ was a _tracker,_ not a combat specialist, she wasn't supposed to be going up against an S-class missing-nin when she'd barely hit adolescence, and _how the flying fuck did he miss this?_

[-M-]

"_Naruto! Hold on a second!"_

_Team Seven, plus one drunk geezer, turned to see Hinata Hyuuga jog up to them. She placed a small scroll in his hands, and planted a light kiss on his cheek, "There's a few lunchboxes in there," she turned to the other four, "Enough for everyone." Back to him, "I wanted to wish you luck on your first C-rank."_

_The gesture would be seen through by everyone except Tazuna now that it was established he wasn't the tactless dead-last he'd 'pretended' to be in the Academy, but no-one would comment, so he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly and gave her a quick peck on the lips. The one thing he didn't manage was the blush, and whatever pheromones he was supposed to be giving off with his 'embarrassment'. "Thanks, Hinata."_

"_Blech!" Tazuna snorted, "Save the drama for later, eh? I've gotta get home…"_

"_What's the matter, old man?" Naruto asked, "Someone after you?"_

"_Che, after me! You've got some crazy ideas, brat." Tazuna scoffed, determinedly turning away and walking out of the gates. Sasuke and Sakura began following him, Kakashi sticking around to bring up the rear._

"_Naruto…" To his surprise, Hinata'd activated her Byakugan, "That man…he's lying…"  
_

"_I know," he said quickly, ditching the shy tone he'd been using previously, very aware of Kakashi's eye on him, but not really able to do anything right now. "Don't worry about it, it's probably nothing."_

_She didn't buy it. "There are no coincidences." Her tone was firm._

_He gave her another kiss, this time on her forehead. To his great annoyance, she was getting tall. He'd missed three years with her – she could've gone past his height at any time, then, and he might've only caught up right before he'd returned. He prayed that wasn't the case; should the three year trip with Jiraiya not occur this time around, he didn't want to have to be wearing heeled sandals to walk next to his girlfriend. "I _know,"_ he tried again, "But I need to see this through to the end."_

_Kakashi definitely heard that and he was definitely going to kill him if Naruto held onto any information that could keep his team safe. Damn it._

_She looked upset with him, but gave him one tight hug and let him go._

_The trio up ahead of the Copy-Nin and Naruto had stopped to let them catch up, and they didn't hurry, moving far enough away that Hinata couldn't overhear before Naruto felt the pressure to explain his statements from his sensei._

"_It was just a guess," he attempted to placate the jounin, "Gatou's monopoly on _everything_ important for Wave's survival means he probably won't be too happy with the development of the bridge. He'll likely send someone after Tazuna."_

_Kakashi nodded, "Makes sense. What doesn't is you holding out on us." A stern eye met his blue ones. "Make no mistake, Naruto, if I find that you intend to harm your teammates, I will do what is necessary."_

_This was about his contact with the Kyuubi, Naruto was sure of it. "My _team,_ sensei, is all I've got. Along with Iruka, the old man and Hinata. Don't insult me by assuming my contact with my tenant would change that."_

_A smile replaced the frown immediately, and a gloved hand ruffled his hair, "My, I didn't mean anything like that!"_

_Naruto snorted and shoved his hands into his pockets before running up and joining Team Seven. They were getting along much better than before, what with Naruto's pushing Sasuke to push Sakura, who, in turn, became a lot more normal toward her crush._

_At this point in time, Naruto would say that the only girl in Konoha in their age-range worth admiring would be Ten-Ten. He boiled the basic requirements for being a ninja down to three things: talent, determination and an understanding that life…could be pretty sad. With a year of experience over the Rookie Nine, as well as several years of knowing both Neji and Rock Lee, Ten-Ten had, in addition to her natural ability and drive, a healthy tolerance for the sorrowful facts of existence. Hinata was close behind – she grew up in a nearly all-ninja family, with oppression and disdain from all sides due to her poor performance in combat which, though he didn't like to think of it this way, would help her toughen up, and with Naruto's intervention, her talent and desire to succeed were both blossoming. Sakura and Ino, on the other hand…_

_Well, they had talent, unkempt and poorly-groomed as it was, and determination, though that was all wrong, too. The main thing he had to do with Sakura was to get her focused on improving for _herself._ Slowly, with Sasuke's help, they were getting there. Ino was someone else's problem – she was farther along in maturity than Sakura, anyway, and with Chouji and Shikamaru's grounding influences, she'd turn out fine._

_Sasuke was a problem all on his own. Really, now that Naruto thought about it, each member of Team Seven just needed attention. Sakura, typically forgotten between the avenger and the jinchuuriki, needed someone to give her the focus and training she needed to unlock her potential, found in Tsunade. Sasuke, drama queen that he was, couldn't sit still and wait patiently to learn everything on his level before moving onto the next, so when Orochimaru offered a way to jump past the traditional path of learning and start working with the big stuff right away, he took it._

_Regretfully, Jiraiya didn't go for any of that quick-fix shit. If Naruto wanted _anything,_ he had to get it from the bottom up. That one move that must've taken about half a second to do that one time when that drunk tried to take my money? Let's see those Academy katas again. A double attack with toads? How's your summoning time? It was long, frustrating and hard, but it had him reciting theory in his sleep, which worked to help him create his own fighting style and jutsu. Naruto was good with creativity._

_Sasuke also had the potential to be good with creativity. As a rule, he was pretty by-the-book, only thinking to step over the line when it was necessary, like during the Bell Test or when he decided he needed to become a missing-nin to fulfill his ambition. He just worked at what he was given, never working _with_ it._

_And that had to change._

_Naruto jumped to put an arm around the Uchiha, ignoring his annoyance and gesturing to the beautiful scenery. "What's wrong with this picture?"_

_Sasuke scowled, looking decidedly unimpressed with the whole thing before his eyes fixed on the puddle and widened._

Squelch._ Bits and pieces of Kakashi littered the ground._

_Naruto grabbed for his kunai and began stirring up the chakra near the seal. Kurama would want to be awake for this._

[-M-]

"_Oi, Naruto! We wanna talk." Sasuke said. Sakura nodded her agreement._

_Pleasantly surprising. Naruto let his fishing line rest on the ground, grinning when the black-haired boy rolled his eyes and pulled up some beach next to him, Sakura reluctantly taking his other side. "What about?"_

"_That chakra. From when we were fighting Zabuza. What was that?"_

_To tell or not to tell? "You tell me!"_

"_Don't _do_ this!" Sakura burst out, surprising both boys. "I get that you're different from who you were in the Academy. I mean, I'm not even sure if you're the same person at this point," she said, frowning at him, "But you said it yourself, the day of the Bell Test, we're a _team."

_Sasuke nodded, "If you're going to suck me into this teamwork stuff, you'd better contribute, too."_

_Oh, what the hell? "I hold the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox in my stomach."_

"_That's – !" Sakura began angrily, then stilled as Sasuke's nods reached her._

"_It makes sense," the avenger said, eyes on the line. "It's why the villagers treated you like they did, isn't it?"_

"_Naruto…" Sakura gaped._

_The blonde shrugged, "I had to act dumb until I graduated so they couldn't hold me back out of fear. But now that I've got this," he tapped his forehead protector, "I'm free to say and do as I please. Which would bring me to my next point…" The grin was back. These two and Hinata were the only ones who'd seen it, he'd been careful about that. "As someone who's spent a large portion of their life working to keep from showing any signs that I'm disloyal to Konoha, I can say with a fair amount of certainty that you, Sasuke, are showing an alarming number of them," he said cheerfully. The Uchiha watched him warily as he turned to Sakura, "And you, Haruno, are entirely too self-conscious."_

_Both traded looks before Sakura began babbling a hundred miles a minute and Sasuke retreated behind his long bangs to brood. Naruto let the grin stay on his face for a while, calmly picking up the fishing line and reeling in a giant clump of seaweed._

[-M-]

"_Naruto."_

_He jumped, whirling around with three kunai ready to be flung at whomever it was who'd snuck up on him, coming face-to-face with…Hinata._

_That wasn't okay._

"_What're you doing here?" he asked, stowing the knives, but not making any move to approach her. She was supposed to be in Konoha, doing whatever it was Team Eight did during Team Seven's trip to Wave._

_She took his aloof stance as a sign he didn't quite believe it was her and pointed at her chest, face coloring a little, and showing him the lovebite that, supposedly, no-one else but the two of them would know about. Now that he really looked at her, though, he saw that she looked more than a little disheveled. She'd zipped her jacket open, either to cool down or better show him the mark, and her skin glistened with sweat. Her hair was a mess and she was breathing heavily. She must have tracked him here from Konoha. Her story confirmed it._

"_I couldn't l-let you walk into a trap," she said, "If what that man was involved in ended up with you getting hurt, and I'd known it could happen, I…I couldn't forgive myself," she said._

_He swore. She jumped. "Hinata, I really appreciate this, but we're _ninja._ Something like a bogus mission was bound to happen sometime."_

_She looked repentant, maybe realizing how foolish it was to pack up and leave the village just like that, but it didn't seem like she was entirely against coming here. Because, he realized, at least she now had peace of mind, knowing that he was safe._

_This wasn't right, he thought as he relieved the Hyuuga of her pack and began walking leisurely back to Tazuna's. Though he knew Hinata had admired him at this point in time, she hadn't been _this_ dependent. But, he thought, she _had _been incredibly self-conscious. On some level, maybe even downtrodden to the point of being damaged. The Hyuuga were her life back then, but now he'd forced himself into it, and he was immediately her focus. How much attention had he given her? Training, dates, long sessions of lip-locking in the dark, all far more intense than a girl who'd been previously overlooked could expect._

_How terrifying it must be for her to see him risk himself, when he was the one person who'd thought she had any value._

_Now taking notice of how much she looked like a kicked puppy, he dropped the disapproving aloofness and took her hand. She gave him a disbelieving look, almost melting when he kissed her temple._

"_I missed you," his mouth trailed up her jaw._

_Let explaining this shit to Kakashi wait._

[-M-]

_Kakashi again couldn't seem to decide between rewarding the bizarre situations Naruto triggered or stopping them before the waves grew chaotic in size. Sheer dumb luck and the remnants of Hinata's exhaustion, actually being from their spontaneous kissing (sweaty hair, flushed cheeks and a lip that she was worrying to the point of splitting the skin to hide any potential swelling) had the jounin reluctantly saying that her loyalty to her comrade was admirable, and that she had his permission to accompany them for the duration of their mission to Wave, though she had better be prepared for danger and for a chewing-out when she got home._

[-M-]

So Hinata was on the bridge with them during the extremely dangerous fight with Zabuza and Haku. Alright. He could deal with that. Sakura was there, after all, and she might've even been behind Hinata in development.

So Hinata was joining in the battle. Well, fine. He couldn't exactly expect her to sit out once fighting started – the whole reason she was here was to make sure nothing happened to him.

Hinata being in Haku's _mirror dome_ while Sasuke assisted Kakashi, he was not okay with.

Kurama was excited, wanted a real battle, but Naruto held back. Hinata…

She was holding her own. This was probably the easiest type of training for her, with her Byakugan and her flexibility. It was like watching a dancer. Haku, realizing this, upped the speed and suddenly Hinata was jerking her hand towards herself, digits bloody from a senbon that, despite missing its target, _did_ hit a finger and didn't look like it hit just any old tendon. The pain was enough of a distraction to mess up her following three dodges and had the ice-user gearing up for the same attack that, in another timeline, almost killed Sasuke Uchiha.

Naruto gathered chakra into his legs pushed Hinata out of the way and let the needles slam into him. Kurama hissed in frustration, _just what was the point of that?_ But Naruto used this opportunity to turn to Hinata and give a big smile; with her Byakugan she'd see it, even if she was gaping at the bridge's woodwork right now. "I don't think you get that you getting hurt here is just as painful for me as me getting hurt is for you," he said, "Especially when this is my mission in the first place, Hinata." It wouldn't help with the hero complex, but he'd deal with that later.

Fighting a blackout, he clumsily grabbed a fistful of needles at one time and pulled out. The fox grumbled, but at least they were getting somewhere now. Hot chakra rushed to the damaged vessels and flesh, quick-fixing anything that needed it so that he'd be good until he could actually lie down and give himself some attention. More energy, hotter still and volatile, jumped up to form into a snake-like tail. _One,_ he said in his head firmly, but there was already too much chakra circulating, and a twin formed near it. He jumped, moving from mirror to mirror, the energy making them snap like toothpicks.

A fist shrouded in energy had the young prodigy flying over to Sasuke, whose brand-spanking-new Sharingan didn't quite prepare him for a body hitting him in the side of the face. Naruto turned back to Hinata, Kurama settling down a bit and withdrawing the majority of what he'd just deposited into the blonde. His skin was still hot when Naruto pulled his girlfriend up, but she either didn't mind or was still too numb. Or, he guessed as her eyes fluttered down, she was exhausted and chakra-depleted. He set her down away from any shards of ice and jumped over to where Kakashi was charging up a Chidori.

[-M-]

Remnants of the fox's chakra would be flushed out over the rest of the week by his own system, but enough was still there that he didn't feel tired or sore like the rest of Team Seven, and was perfectly fine carrying Hinata back to his place while she napped. The hormone-fest in the Hokage's office tired her out enough for her not to object to a piggy-back ride. He sort of expected her to fall asleep, since she would've been tired from traveling to and from Konoha, as well as from the fight. It had all happened over the course of a few days, after all, and she probably hadn't slept or ate to compensate for it.

He set her down on his bed, covering her with a light blanket since she was wearing her jacket, then grabbed some clothes, his towel, and went to shower.

There was currently a big problem here, one that he wasn't entirely sure of how to solve. On the plus side, Hinata's ability and self-confidence were growing at a very nice rate. His assurance that he thought she was a good ninja and a cool, pretty girl were helping her improve much faster and better than before. But. But before, she was doing this _herself,_ or with her teammates and teachers. Now, Naruto was pushing growth that – he turned the knob hard, accidentally making the water colder than he was prepared for – she might not be ready for. She'd had three, maybe four years, to sort this all out on her own. He'd assumed that with his intervention they could speed that up, but he hadn't taken things like this into account.

Granted, there were worse people, in Konoha, even, to have hero-complexes for, and great amounts of trust would be good to have when he was 'coming out of the closet' with his relationship with the Nine-Tails and whatever mess Gaara and Orochimaru would cook up soon. But she was _Hinata._ A lot more important than just anyone.

Just what was he supposed to do now? He was loath to act with apathy toward her – not only would it mirror the actions of her family, but it could also lead to even more unpredictable results. No matter how unlikely a scenario with Hinata leaving the Leaf was, he didn't doubt that, somehow, he could make it happen. The only thing he could think of would be to work with her on stuff that he, himself sucked at, like medical jutsu, or theory.

He _hated_ medical jutsu. He and chakra control were the worst match-up ever. But – he attempted to find the doorknob blindly, face covered by a towel, and knocked into a very awake Hinata on his way out – her health depended on this.

He set the kettle for several cups of instant ramen to share, smiling when he saw two scrolls of hers on the counter, and another jacket of hers on a hook in the entry way. If he wasn't mistaken, she had a toothbrush in his bathroom, as well. She wasn't staying here permanently, but more often than not, they were sharing his apartment. Was that a good thing? He liked it. It was easier to start this comfortably now, rather than have an awkward are-you-moving-in discussion later on. By chuunin she would have enough freedom to live away from the Hyuuga compound.

He covered the ramen to keep any steam from escaping while the noodles re-hydrated and sat down to wait. Hinata's changes were something to keep a closer eye on, he decided. She didn't necessarily need to be exactly the same as before, but he was pretty sure heavy deviation from what she'd become then wouldn't have a good outcome.

Though, a smile spread across his face at the sight of a fuchsia bra strap, he wasn't going to complain if it lead to her wearing things like _that._ She caught his eye and fingered it nervously, a blush spreading across her face. "It's new."

"I like it," he said, and pushed a cup of ramen towards her.


	4. Chapter 4

In danger of defecting or not, Sasuke knew that Konoha had produced three very impressive ninja over the course of its growth. One of whose habits Naruto was especially familiar with, and who wasn't currently training an apprentice.

"Have you ever thought about sealing as a specialty?" Naruto asked Sasuke during a team lunch. Sakura's eyebrows went up into her hair. The avenger remained quiet, waiting for an explanation. "Jiraiya's not training anyone right now, is he?"

Sakura gaped, "H-Hold on, you can't just waltz up to the Toad Sage and ask him for an apprenticeship!"

Naruto shrugged, "I won't. Sasuke will. And you'll be going up to Tsunade."

"Even if we could," Sasuke said, chewing thoughtfully, "Tsunade hasn't been in the village for years. And Jiraiya wouldn't be easy to find, either."

Naruto grinned, "With the Chuunin Exams coming up, he'll be here soon. And I've got a pretty good idea of how to sway him." He smirked. It wasn't the dangerous grin that they knew meant they ought to shut up and listen when it appeared, but it was intriguing enough that both stopped eating momentarily to catch what he was saying. "You know those books Kakashi's always reading? Icha-Icha? Well, on top of being one of the Densetsu no Sannin, our favorite Sage is also the author, leading to the conclusion that he's a giant pervert."

Sakura looked ready to impale his eye with her chopsticks and Sasuke wasn't too far behind. He waved a placating hand, "And I happen to have a jutsu that no pervert can resist. Of course, having worked so hard on it, I'm not about to reveal its secrets to anyone. Should someone with a certain doujutsu capable of copying techniques catch sight of it, though…"

"That's the stupidest plan ever," Sasuke scoffed.

"It's the best one we've got," Naruto corrected, "No ninja's keen on revealing their secrets, and you need a teacher who you take seriously, otherwise you won't be in Konoha for very long."

The Uchiha rolled his eyes, "Why are you so certain I'll defect if I get so much as bored on a mission?"

"It's all in the way you present yourself, Sasuke," Naruto said emphatically, and reached for more rice.

[-M-]

Naruto pulled back for air, smiling at a beaming Hinata, "What was that for?"

"I put Neji on defense!"

Time seemed to slow. "That's fantastic." And terrifying.

"It was just for a short while, and we weren't practicing with Gentle Fist, it was just an assessment of our skills with weapons, but I had him retreating for a few moves!" She was favoring her left side, which brought him to the conclusion that those few moves were swiftly reciprocated by the genius, and with more zeal than usual. "Thank you so much!" Her mouth was on his again, her left hand eagerly grasping his hair while her right cupped her side.

He laughed, "What did I do? It was all you." Except this probably hadn't happened in the previous timeline, meaning that it _was_ partly his doing, which begged the question: just what was Hinata hiding? How much of her skill set was unused or untouched because no-one had bothered with it?

Her smile was dazzling, so he took advantage of the fairly secluded training ground to slip her the tongue, surprised again at her eager acceptance. In fact, she was getting quite a bit more enthusiastic than usual, taking the lead herself. Her tongue was tagging his and darting back into her mouth, making him go after it with his own, her left hand coming down from his hair to move along his neck, then his chest, down to his abdomen and then back up, now under the cloth of his shirt. He breathed in sharply through his nose when she fingered the waistband of his pants, pulling apart and shoving his face into the crook of her neck to hide his expression.

"That was…" Unusually assertive. Fantastic, but unexpected. "…That was really something. I think you're making me a little too excited, though." He moved his mouth over and blew in her ear, pleased with the resulting shiver, "I mean, really, Hinata, I'm a boy. Just what do you think you're doing to me?" The results were both a relief and a disappointment. Her cheeks tinged pink and she pulled away, ducking her head and making him sigh. "I was just teasing. I really liked it." He awkwardly nosed her chin back up so she faced him, "Your kisses are the best." Under his lips, her pulse was faster than ever before. He pulled away with a sigh, "Come on, let's look at those ribs. I think they're really bothering you."

[-M-]

"Sakura's been talking to me about you," Kakashi said musingly, not looking up from his porn as he walked casually beside Naruto.

"Yeah?" The blonde's eyes scrunched up, "What'd she say?"

"Oh, this and that," the jounin hummed.

Naruto sighed. Something he really hated was Kakashi's tendency to skirt around the subject when he was curious. It was something everyone picked up, eventually. An interrogation tactic that could lead to your interviewee leaking something accidentally.

"Kakashi-sensei, you don't really trust me, do you?" he asked in a monotone. "Is it because I'm so different from when I was in the Academy or is it the Kyuubi?"

The Copy-Nin looked ready to deny everything, but his surprised expression quickly melted off his face. A somber Kakashi Hatake met Naruto's gaze and gave a shrug. "I don't really have any reason to. But the change between your self from the Academy and the one on Team Seven now is a lot more drastic than expected."

"You've spoken to the Hokage, right?"

"Even he is surprised." Their sandals echoed loudly on the gravel. Neither was attempting to keep quiet, and he was finding the scuffling sounds comforting. The lamps left big, yellow circles on the ground. Somewhere farther ahead, a woman was walking with two giant shopping bags. He would've asked if she wanted help, but doubted anyone would accept his help now, what with him being the despicable demon and all.

Naruto gave another, louder sigh through his nose. "I'm still the same. I still want to be Hokage, I guess. I still like ramen and training."

"I thought you didn't know what your goal was," the older shinobi prompted.

"I know I want to _stay in Konoha,"_ Naruto emphasized. "I know I want Team Seven to stay together, and I know I want to stay with Hinata-chan."

"What makes you think Team Seven won't last?" Kakashi said quietly.

"It might," Naruto allowed, "We're getting better with teamwork, and are taking each other seriously now that I'm not playing dumb."

"And your constant teasing about Sasuke going missing-nin would help steer him back towards staying with the Leaf," Kakashi added.

The blonde nodded, "Yup. But Sasuke's ambition is still his obsession, and if it doesn't look like we're getting him there, he'll leave."

"And this would be why you brought up Jiraiya?" Kakashi asked.

"Sealing takes longer to learn than everyday assassination techniques. But it's hard to learn, and a challenge for Sasuke would be worthwhile, since it would feel like he was doing something. He _needs_ to feel like he isn't wasting his time." Naruto stuffed his hands in his pockets, "And I doubt a Sannin would take any whiny bullshit from him, even if all it was was brooding," he added as an afterthought.

Kakashi hummed, "Alright. I'll see if I can't convince Jiraiya-sama to give Sasuke a few moments of his time when he's in town."

Naruto grinned, a very pleasant feeling of relief spreading throughout him. Kakashi had been Minato's student, so Jiraiya would feel connected to him that way. If Kakashi brought it up to him, maybe the sage _would_ consider training the Uchiha. They kept walking silently, until Kakashi said, in a much lighter tone of voice, "So, Hinata-chan, huh? Would she be the cause of all those red marks on your neck?"

A flustered expression bloomed on the genin's face, "Stay out of it."

"What kind of sensei would I be if I did that?" the jounin said with an eye-smile, "A word of advice, my pupil, invest in a comfortable scarf." Then he turned around abruptly, ending the conversation, and walked off to wherever it was that he lived.

Naruto stood there gaping, wondering _who_ it could be that was leaving hickeys all over Kakashi's neck before he decided that he _really_ didn't want to know, and quickly finished the walk home.

[-M-]

In this timeline, he and Konohamaru weren't as close as they'd been before, but they still knew each other, so when the boy bumped into a hostile group of Suna-nin (even without an angry Sakura chasing them; he guessed it was fate), he jumped in to help. The one irritating thing was that he was on a date with Hinata at the time, and this meant he'd probably have to talk to her some more about being a jinchuuriki. It wasn't that he was uncomfortable with the topic…he just didn't have much to say without bringing his contact with the Kyuubi into it, and it seemed a bit too soon to start referring to Kurama as a friend and whatnot.

"Oi! Sand-nin! Drop him. He's just a kid," Naruto said.

"A Leaf-genin, huh?" Kankuro said, voice lilting with arrogance, "How 'bout we have some fun before the boss gets here?"

"Save it for the exam," Naruto said, "And put the kid down."

"What's going on?" Sakura's voice came from behind him, "What're Sand-nin doing in Konoha? And isn't that the Hokage's grandson?"

At this, Temari gave her brother a pointed look and the puppet-user looked ready to let the boy go without any more argument, anyway, but a stone from Sasuke (enjoying the super-cool atmostphere of a high branch) had him dropping Konohamaru painfully onto the ground. Hinata used this moment to give the kid a quick glance over and a pick-me-up in the form of a hair-ruffle. A really cute moment for anyone looking.

"Kankuro, stop it. Or I'll kill you."

Everyone's attention turned to the redhead hanging upside down from a tree branch. Gaara looked as apathetic as ever. His eyes were still darkened by lack of sleep, mimicking the rings around a raccoon's, and his gourd still clung to his back, bulky as ever. Sasuke's eyes narrowed and his mouth formed a smirk in anticipation of a fight with the other boy – there was nothing the avenger loved more than testing himself.

Naruto, however, smiled in greeting. "Good. Now we can all be friends. You're here for the exams, right?"

Sasuke looked at him, wondering at his tone. His sub-par acting skills were making a show; the smile on his face completely fake. It looked like it was starting to creep Hinata out, even.

"My name is Gaara of the Sand. Yours?" the One-Tail container asked the dark-haired genin.

"Sasuke Uchiha," the boy answered almost distractedly.

Naruto took the opportunity to wish the other team good luck. "Maybe we'll see each other in the exams!" It was enough to send them on their way, and got him three strange looks from the others around him once they were gone.

Sasuke frowned, "What was that about?"

The blonde's expression mirrored the avenger's, "That guy…"

"His chakra…is really strange. A large amount of it is concentrated in that gourd," Hinata said, chakra vessels around her eyes bulging. Sasuke gave her a thoughtful glance and followed her gaze in the direction of the three siblings, though they were outside his range of vision by now. Naruto kissed her cheek as reward for the very ninja assessment of a potential threat.

"What was up with his eyes?" Sakura asked.

"It's like my whiskers," Naruto said, frowning, "But I think he actually doesn't get any sleep."

"So they're from the fox?" she mused, now eyeing his face with interest and making Naruto frown.

"You think I carved up my own face for fun one day or something?" The scars weren't a big deal, since he couldn't even remember getting them, but he could feel them changing in fights, like phantom pain from old wounds, and he knew that at some point his skin had, for whatever reason, split evenly in six places on his face. He'd have to discuss it with the Nine-Tails next time.

She looked a little sheepish, but not too apologetic. Sasuke continued, "He's a jinchuuriki, and his marks are like a raccoon. Which one is that?"

"The One-Tail," Naruto answered. "Has an affinity for sand, and they're from Suna. It fits."

The four shifted (Konohamaru had run off with his friends as soon as the Sand-nin departed). "What now?"

"Hinata and I are gonna get back to our date. We'll just all have to watch our back around him," he furrowed a brow, "His voice…that wasn't the tone of someone who's sane." The other members of Team Seven exchanged looks. Naruto squeezed Hinata's hand and steered her away.

"Did what Sakura said bother you?" Hinata asked him once they were a ways away, white eyes boring intensely into his.

"Did it seem that way? Not really." The streets were mostly empty here, what with it being a bit later in the day, so he took the opportunity to put a hand on her waist and guide her torso a little closer to his. Her arm came around his side and did the same without any more prompting.

"I…want you to know," she said determinedly, "That I really don't care. About the Kyuubi. You're Naruto, and that's what matters." On her face was the same expression she wore when fighting and he knew if he argued (which he wouldn't, but hypothetically…), she'd shoot down everything he'd say.

He knew what he _wanted_ to say ("I love you."), but it might've been a little early for that, or not the right time. Personally, he was a fan of making dramatic statements in dramatic places, like the middle of a battle, so they might be waiting a while longer before he coughed up the words. Instead, he kept a blank face and pulled her around to an out-of-the-way street before attempting to eat her face.

"You're amazing, Hinata, you know that?" he said, unable to keep from being cheesy and pressing kisses all over her, though he reigned it in afterwards and kept it strictly semi-perverted. "I don't think there's anyone quite like you." His tongue moved down her neck, and there was that bra strap again. He was starting to get really curious about what the entire thing looked like.

She blushed brilliantly and kissed him back, hands moving to go through his hair. "You're more than amazing," she said quietly, "I don't think I could've gotten so far in my training without you, without your acknowledgement."

They were having this conversation _now?_ He wanted to make out with her, damn it. "It's all you," he promised. "I think you just needed a push." He moved away, keeping his hands on her waist, and smiled at her. The quiet was a little awkward, but he kept eye contact, watching her blush darken and spread all over her face and down her neck.

A bashful grin appeared on her face inadvertently. "Naruto, kiss me again." He gladly complied, the boldness of the statement spurring a much more heated kiss than usual.

They made their way back to his apartment quickly after that, neither very enthused about making out outside when their other options included a bed and couch. Once inside, he grabbed her by the hips and pulled her to him from behind, getting a surprised "Oh!" and then several slightly nervous strokes to his neck and hair. Realizing the pelvic contact was probably what was making her tense, he quickly moved around and kissed her again, this time very nicely, keeping his hands on the small of her back and his tongue in his mouth.

Hinata must have realized her hesitation had brought back the gentlemanly kisses and decided she wanted something else, because she pulled him over to the couch and soon made it so he found himself with his lap full of girl. His hand moved down to her hip again, delighting in the feel of skin in between cotton and denim. They'd taken the opportunity of a date to throw their regular clothes into the washer and don some less comfortable and less durable civilian clothing. Despite the slightly restricting jeans, perks included the bra that was pushing Hinata's well-developing breasts higher up into his view, and a jacket that was much less bulky and easier to slip off of her.

He breathed encouragement into her ear as she lowered the zipper of his own sweatshirt, and rubbed circles into the base of her spine under her jacket, making her arch up into him. Seeming to feel a little discomfort, Hinata rearranged her limbs quickly so that she was straddling him, mouth coming onto his, then stiffened. It took him a moment to realize that the reason for this would be that she'd just gotten a fairly embarrassing reminder that he was male. The result was a red-faced Hinata attempting to continue the kiss while he tried to contain what seemed to be the biggest laugh of his life.

Eventually she excused herself to use the bathroom, and he snickered into his fist for the entire ten minutes she was in there. He guessed the intensity of their lip-locking _had_ been upped quite quickly in a very short span of time, though it was interesting that this was the first experience they'd had with an erection. He'd never had one _around _her, he realized. He'd been careful about it at other times, but now that they were in the privacy of his home and she'd been _straddling_ him… He giggled into his hand again – gods, the look on her _face…_

She eventually came out of the bathroom, looking a bit more calm, but swaying on her feet a bit when he started chuckling at her nervous expression. Trying to ease the tension, he walked over and gave her a kiss on the cheek, "How 'bout some tea?"

"Okay," she almost-whispered. He was about to go and get the kettle when he felt her arms wrap around him. "Thank you."

He quirked a brow, turning around and returning the hug, "I'm actually sorry. That…may have been a little embarrassing. I'll, uh, try and keep it under control."

"I – thank you for – everything," she said, words muffled by his shirt.

"Stop _thanking_ me," he said with some irritation. "Geez, Hinata, I wouldn't like you if you weren't awesome already. You're cool, strong and you're really pretty." He squeezed her tightly. "Give yourself some more credit, okay? You're my girlfriend, after all."

"Okay," she repeated, in the same dazed tone of voice she'd answered his suggestion of tea with.

They stood there for a while, hugging. It was nice.

…

…

A/N: Fair warning – I might replace parts of this chapter or the entire thing. I don't like it very much, since not much happens.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Hi. I'm not sure what this is. It's a bit different from my usual writing. I _think_ I'll leave it up, but those of you who warned me about demoting Hinata to makeout sessions won't be too happy. I…I just wanted kissing, okay?

…

…

It was the night before the Chuunin Exam, and Hinata was enjoying a cup of cocoa that was thick with foam, and a massage. Naruto had invited her over for another sleepover, this time consisting of making sure they were prepared for the tests – double- and triple-checking over their supplies, discussing recent spars – and relaxing.

His fingers hit a sore spot and she leaned into the pressure, setting down _The Gutsy Ninja_ and tilting her head back to let him know he had once again discovered a sensitive place on her back. He'd been staying quiet, letting her read and enjoy the hot chocolate. She wasn't entirely sure what he, himself was occupying his mind with and it wasn't too much of an issue at the moment because that felt _really_ nice. His chuckle cut into the silence, and his hands were suddenly away from their place halfway down her back and had taken hold of her shoulders, steadying him as he leaned forward to kiss her neck just below her ear, then returning to their kneading of her muscles.

Naruto was a bit of an enigma. Despite her admiration of him, before they'd had that talk in the clearing she'd always thought of him as goofy. Always playing pranks, being loud and drawing attention to himself. Since his graduation, though, an entirely different side of him had shown up, one that kept her guessing in spite of her close proximity to him.

On the one hand, he wasn't very different from the old Naruto; he still cared tons about everyone important to him and about being a ninja, was plenty nice and, as always, had a great love for ramen. The differences, though… She could see why they made some people nervous. He was a lot more calculating than he'd been made out to be, and not a bad actor, either. If she hadn't been this intimate with him, she would've been alarmed at the sudden change:

This Naruto was also different from the old because he did things like this. He held her hand when they walked down the street, and baked instant cinnamon rolls for her if she told him there would be an assessment of her skills at the compound for afterwards, and gave great massages the evening before a trying exam. She couldn't see the loudmouthed Naruto doing any of these things, and despite her affection for his bold declarations of old, she couldn't get enough of _this._ Being with him was just so _comfortable._ Talking and cuddling and sparring. She wouldn't have thought that he'd be the type to spoil his girlfriend, but he was. (She wasn't exactly sure how she was supposed to pay him back, but for the moment the new bra and her skill in the kitchen seemed to be enough.)

She leaned back into him, pulling him down and kissing his neck at a slightly awkward angle, then – carefully, so as not to knock the hot chocolate onto his surprisingly neat floor – repositioned herself so she was now in his lap, and ready for kissing. Her mouth moved along his jaw, finding his pulse just below and kissing it, then moving down to his collar, her hands moving along his chest and (she was proud to say) raising goosebumps.

She could feel him watching her, maybe just caught up in the moment, maybe doing that thing where he got thinky and distant. Which was a bit frustrating – here she was, on top of him, and he was spacing out – but it usually only required a kiss to bring him back. Mouth-to-mouth contact did the trick, and quickly his hands were on her, one moving along her thigh, the other keeping up its job of supporting her back with the help of the couch. His mouth was salty (they'd had popcorn), contrasting deliciously with the taste of her drink. It was wonderful, and _Naruto_, and she wanted more, and he'd certainly always encouraged her taking charge, so she gripped his shirt and pulled him closer, taking hold of his hair gently and pulling him to her.

He froze. His eyes moved over her, and she worried that, somehow, she'd gone too far – but then he was kissing back harder, pressing her into the couch, his hands moving on her waist and hip, one leg flung over hers, and it was _fantastic_. She gripped his shoulders, not even caring that the sound of their lips separating was embarrassingly loud, and panted into his ear while he re-applied the lovebites on her neck that had been close to healing.

She pushed him back into his former position, doing some interesting bending to keep their lips together while she moved her legs out from under him, then put her legs on either side of him. Her face heated at the definite assurance that he was enjoying this, and she felt the room sway, but she kept her attention focused on his face – how his eyes weren't straying from hers at all, how laughing seemed to be the last thing on his mind (just _what_ was so funny about it, anyway?) – and she managed to ignore the dizziness and give him a few real kisses before he gently separated them and perched his forehead at the place where her neck met her shoulders and let out a long exhalation.

"That was…_wow,_"he breathed, and she hummed an agreement, because it _was _pretty 'wow'. Granted, nearly everything they did was 'wow' to her, but _this…_

They didn't do any more making out that evening; instead they cuddled and kissed and eventually dumped the cooled cocoa into the drain, then brushed their teeth and crawled into Naruto's slightly crowded bed to ensure they got their eight hours before the test tomorrow. Anxiety kept Hinata awake a little longer than Naruto, but the sound of his breathing was a fantastic white noise to lull her to sleep, and she was out soon after. It wouldn't do to be tired for the Chuunin Examination.


	6. Chapter 6

Naruto was very surprised by Hinata's decision to forgo her bulky jacket in favor of a new, darker and more form-fitting one for the exam, but didn't question or criticize it. The loss of space for stashing weapons wouldn't really be felt, since she'd never used it much in her old jacket due to her being mainly a taijutsu fighter, firstly, and secondly this new one was better for both camouflage and weaving between obstacles, having less cloth to catch on poky things. It also gave him the rare pleasure of ogling the curve of her waist, though he tried to keep his eyes on her face, mostly.

Team Seven and Team Eight entered the examination building together. He and Kiba had some verbal sparring about the exam, dragging Sasuke and Shino into it to promote that team unity, while Sakura complemented Hinata on her new choice of clothing. It was getting to be a pretty comfortable atmosphere, in fact, until Team Nine showed up.

Tension rolled in around the group in waves when Hinata and Neji made eye contact. This was the first time Naruto had ever seen Hinata around her family in this time period, and the fruits of his labors made him pause. Despite the slight differences (Hinata's face was rounder and her lashes longer, Neji's nose was straighter), the two faces were nearly mirror images. On her own, Hinata had mastered the Hyuuga's emotionless expression, coolly staring down her cousin in response to his tightly-restrained temper.

"Greetings, Hinata-sama."

"Neji-nii-san. It is good to see you."

"You as well."

There was a silence. Even Lee was quiet in the face of this tension. Kiba shifted awkwardly.

"You guys are a year ahead of us, right? Neji Hyuuga – last year's Rookie of the Year?" Naruto said, tone light, though his team's careful observation of him tossed out any hope of him seeming friendly.

"Yes." Neji replied.

"Wow. Then you guys've got a whole year on us in experience! We'll just have to try harder, eh?" he said, smile bright enough to blind, but doing nothing to change the expressions of those around him, though Kiba was looking at him like he really ought to know better than to be a loudmouth in such a tense situation. Maybe it _was_ a bad idea to act the idiot; his team was giving him away (he really needed to talk to them about that) and Hinata wasn't looking any less uptight. He ran his thumb along her wrist, trying to do _something_ to get her face to move the way normal faces did, but only succeeded in making Neji's gaze narrow in on their hand-holding like a hawk on a rabbit.

"And you are?" he asked, tone giving nothing away, but Naruto knew these genius types, and he knew that since the beginning of the conversation Neji had been watching not just him but also the reactions of those around him. Sakura and Sasuke's cautious and watchful responses had right away made him into someone to keep an eye on, and the fact that now – Naruto could _see_ the wheels in his head turning – it was evident that where Hinata had been all this time, who it was that she'd been spending time with that had made her into a competent kunoichi, was him, highlighted the 'dead-last' even more. Sasuke _Uchiha,_ the next generation's _Rookie of the Year_, was attentively looking to see what Naruto would do next. He was a wild card.

"Naruto Uzumaki. You've probably heard of me," he winked.

"No. I can't say I have." Neji turned his attention to another group of genin coming around them, "We should get going. It was good to meet you."

"You, too. Good luck in the exam!"

Upon seeing their backs, Naruto let the fake smiles drain out of him. There was conversation between the two rookie teams, but he didn't include himself in it.

Hinata had become an honest-to-God Hyuuga. Maybe this was a good thing – 'if you can't beat 'em, join 'em' and all that. The only question was, _why?_ The Hinata he knew, both privately and among peers, while quite different from the girl she'd been two months ago, was always pleasant and a little bit shy due to his PDA. But once she'd been put in contact with Neji (and likely every other member of her family), the Hyuuga genes seemed to take over.

Naruto had to again steel himself and remind himself that this _was not necessarily a bad thing._ Different from before. Way different. But it was still _Hinata._ And he loved Hinata. Enough that, should her reaction to an uncomfortable situation be to put on a cool expression and even cooler tone, well, okay. His was essentially the same, though he pasted on a smile and said things to make himself seem simpleminded. Come to think of it, he might've even been a role model in this whole 'put on a mask' thing.

Oh, well. Hinata was Hinata. (For a little reassurance that this was true, he put his arms around her from behind and leaned his head against hers as he observed the room, mentally nodding when he heard her stutter over a word in her conversation with Ino, whose semi-interested expression from when she'd observed their handholding changed into a smug one; in his peripheral vision, Hinata's ears turned red.)

A silver-haired teenager in glasses walked over, a stack of cards in his hand. Naruto let out a small, bored sigh and plopped his forehead down on Hinata's shoulder, closing his eyes like he'd been up all night studying, and he was _so_ tired and _so_ bored, couldn't this instructor show up, already? Less energy meant less conversation with Kabuto, who'd not only see through his mediocre acting skills, but would also immediately place him into the 'threat' category.

[-M-]

Sitting next to Hinata had tested his willpower in a really annoying way. He hadn't realized that the habit of keeping contact with her would be so hard to break if she was right there next to him. Holding hands or idly stroking hair just _happened, _he didn't necessarily make an effort, and the constant 'nope, can't do that here'-s popping up every few minutes were _really_ bothersome. But, thankfully, the first test was done with, and now he was calmly holding hands with his girlfriend in front of the Forest of Death, waiting his turn for a waiver. Here's to a shitty first Chuunin Exam.

Sasuke took the lead here, deciding to find a water source (and hopefully a source of fish), then to wait there and ambush another team. That seemed as reliable a plan as any, though Naruto and Sakura's reluctance to split up meant their speed of searching was reduced, much to the avenger's annoyance. Soon enough, though, they found a source of water, and were swiftly caught up in another team's trap.

These were Grass genin, not Orochimaru's team, but certainly still strong enough to be cautious around. Thankfully, a Team Seven that worked like a well-oiled machine and wasn't divided into different locations was a force to be reckoned with. They almost immediately had a scroll in their possession, making getting to the tower their next step. If the exam so far was what they could go off of, it wouldn't be as difficult as they'd thought.

If only.

[-M-]

Orochimaru was never one of Naruto's favorite opponents, but he'd been expecting _some_ sort of benefit from having come back in time – the benefit of surprise, at _least._ Kurama was one hundred percent behind him, here, and power flowed to Naruto quickly with little nudging on his behalf. Too bad a five-point seal to the stomach couldn't be over-charged.

The sudden absence of Kurama's voice and chakra was worse than any injury he sustained in the battle; it was like putting wool over his ears. He was left with the (decent, but certainly not mammoth amount, like he was used to) chakra the Kyuubi had already channeled into him, and his own. His clones were forced to (gasp!) take care of themselves by dodging the snake sannin's offense. The snake sannin was surprised, sure, and very displeased with the gap between what he'd thought Sasuke's team's skill set was and what it _actually_ was, but the gap between himself and their skill was more than enough to keep him ahead.

But, Naruto said inwardly afterwards, trying to follow Orochimaru's thought pattern, who knew there was so much _talent_ in Konoha? A hurting, power-thirsting teen with real talent and an ambition that was overriding his desire to become a ninja – stubborn enough that he became predictable and _malleable_ in the end, and his bloodline would be Orochimaru's for the taking. That was already a treat.

A jinchuuriki who certainly wasn't a dead-last, but had managed to convince the entire village he was until they permitted him to graduate under the belief that he'd never get anywhere as a ninja. Interesting. Interesting enough to possibly waste large amounts of chakra in order to mark him with a seal that whispered clever little suggestions into his ear. (And stung like a bitch.)

Naruto had studied the Cursed Seal of Heaven in his time, and had discovered that it had something quite remarkable about it: the newest prototype connected the victim _to_ the one who'd done the marking. Not precisely enough that the snake sannin could hear his thoughts directly, or communicate with him, but enough to give Orochimaru a distant idea of what kind of person Naruto was. What motivated him. What he wanted most.

And just what, Naruto asked himself, was likely to be printed all over his dreams, thoughts and strongest desires?

Hinata, Hinata, Hinata.

Naruto was not nearly as invested in Konoha as Orochimaru had thought he might be. The feelings of wanting to protect were not broad and complicated, as they might've been with the love for an entire village in his heart, but concise. Easy to understand. And it ultimately would bring the sannin to one conclusion: there was something Naruto loved more than Konoha.

Now, Naruto wouldn't call himself a master manipulator or anything, but he was pretty good. That said, he couldn't really think of a way for Orochimaru to twist the information to his favor. Hinata was a shinobi of Konohagakure, after all, and any plan put into action to get her to switch loyalties would have a million variables in it that could not possibly all be carefully controlled. But just because Naruto couldn't think of it, didn't mean that the man who'd gone off and managed to start his own village and gather the loyalty of hundreds of outcasts couldn't find some way.

So when Hinata came to him after his sealing, courtesy of Kakashi, he pulled her into his arms and did not let go for several silent minutes. There was absolutely no way Orochimaru was touching a single hair on her head. He wouldn't say a single goddamn word to her. Hinata would stay safe, and keep growing as a shinobi in the Village of the Leaves. No matter what it took.


	7. Chapter 7

Due to 'injury' and a less honest desire to have free time on his hands to keep up with his observations of Konohagakure and its guests, Naruto Uzumaki wouldn't be participating in the third round of this year's Chuunin Exams. The Hokage suspected there was something more to Naruto's compliance when asked to put off his promotion 'till next time, but as it fit with his needs to have as many Cursed Seal victims on the sidelines as possible (just _try_ asking Sasuke to sit out - if there was one sure way to get him to defect...), he didn't probe outright. Jiraiya's presence wasn't yet confirmed in the village, but it ought to be soon, and the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki was due for an examination.

Naruto took his place next to Hinata on the sidelines and proceeded to get much closer to her than tolerated in modern civilization, ignoring Kiba's telling him to back off and Shiro's irritated buzzing, as well as Neji and Sasuke's disdain. The back of her neck was getting red and predicting a fainting spell in the near future, but he didn't care. He kept his arms locked around her middle, his chest curved around her back, and his feet firmly on either side of hers, anchoring her as she risked falling over from the highly reduced balance such a position imposed on her. Kabuto was probably taking notes on Sasuke and his teammates, but right now, Naruto didn't really give a shit.

Sasuke's fight was the very first, and he was pitted not against the kid from Grass whose name Naruto couldn't remember, but against - Sakura.

The girl shook a little as the pair descended into the arena, but she didn't back down or offer to forfeit. She took a breath, "Sasuke!"

He didn't respond.

"I know you think I'm beneath you, and that I haven't improved at all since the Academy. But you're wrong!" she said, pulling out several senbon and readying herself, "I'm not just the fangirl you guys think I am," she said defiantly, meeting Naruto's eyes and seeming to hold back an eyeroll at his draping himself over Hinata. Sasuke mirrored her; both of the Jinchuuriki's teammates were staring at him intently.

And suddenly, Naruto realized, he'd gotten the position of leadership that he'd been seeking in the beginning. Maybe not officially. Maybe they wouldn't even admit it if they were asked. But he was sitting out, and there was a little part of both the Uchiha and Haruno that wondered if participating was quite the right idea - when Naruto Uzumaki, who had proven himself to be as capable as a jounin, in combat and in tactics, was cooling his heels on the bench - when he'd been one of the bigger reasons they'd even made it this far - was there something they were missing?

And even though the Chuunin Exams were going to be thoroughly fucked up the ass by Orochimaru's invasion, they were also chock full of that good character-developing conflict all on their own, and he was never one to discourage teammates going at it. For a moment, he loosened his hold on his girlfriend and leaned out over the railing, a maniacal grin all his own spreading across his face, "Come on, you two! Sakura - kick his butt! Sasuke - give her a haircut!"

"Sakura." Sasuke said, pulling two kunai out of the pouch on his leg, "I'm not going to hold back." That was all the acknowledgement the Uchiha would give in front of so many people, but it was good enough for the pinkette.

There was a hush - they were about to see the Last Uchiha in action! - and then they disappeared. Naruto settled his nose in Hinata's hair, trying to ignore the smell of five days without a bath and instead focus on the almost faded scent of her shampoo.

[-M-]

"Hold still..." Jiraiya said, ramming his fingers into Naruto's stomach and twisting, dispersing the chakra keeping the Five-Point seal in place. Immediately, Kurama's clawed out, straight from the seal originally on his stomach and burning the sage's fingertips as it spread all over his skin. The fox's growls echoed through Naruto's skull; desperately, he tried to hush it because this was way, way too much chakra for a day at the hot springs, and, oh God, Jiraiya's attention was not something he needed right now.

"What the…?" Too late.

'_Shh, shh,'_ Naruto soothed, and the pain from the stress on his body seemed to recede - until the Kyuubi found something it definitely did _not_ like in its examination of Naruto's state of being, and proceeded to try and get rid of the Cursed Seal of Heaven the old-fashioned way. Naruto gave out a very un-manly squeak and dropped to the ground, grasping tenderly at his neck where there was literally a battle between two powerful forces going on across four inches of skin.

"The f-fox!" Naruto got out around a jaw clenched hard enough to crack teeth, "It's getting rid of the snake-bastard's seal!"

"How?" Jiraiya mused, rubbing his chin, "The fox's chakra runs through your body constantly?"

"I was using it during the battle," Naruto gasped as the pain receded, "When you got rid of whatever Orochimaru did, it kept going, and Kurama could feel his chakra."

"Huh." Jiraiya said, leaning back and checking out his red fingers. "Alright, then. Let's see that Cursed Seal."

According Jiraiya, only a patch of irritated skin and traces of the snake sannin's chakra - almost unnoticeable among the heavy bijuu energy he and that spot on his neck, in particular, exuded - remained. The fox's chakra had done its job well, purging the mark off him completely.

"If only pretty-boy had something like this, eh?" the Toad Sage said, smiling jokingly at the sour-faced Uchiha who'd been waiting for the scene to play out in the meantime.

"Don't even joke," Naruto said, rubbing his neck tenderly, "I don't think _that_ angst could be tolerated."

Sasuke swallowed a growl and turned expectantly to the Sannin, who still hadn't responded to the duo's earlier question.

"Alright, you wanna learn somethin' from me…" Jiraiya pondered, "Something cool… Oh! I know - water walking!"

"I know it." Sasuke said, irritation bleeding through, "I'm asking for an apprenticeship. In sealing."

The white-haired man barked out a laugh, "Do you know what you're saying, boy? That's a lifetime commitment - not something an _avenger_ can pursue," he finished with a drawl.

Naruto reigned in an intense spark of annoyance. Apparently, Jiraiya was a lot better than he'd thought at diverting potential apprentices. He'd never thought he would be, but maybe that was just because the Sage had had his eye on him ever since his birth. The man knew just what to say to make the idea of sealing an unappealing one - and it was about the most versatile of the arts, ever!

Naruto let out a big, annoyed, exhalation of air, "Come on, ero-sennen, who else could Sasuke go to to learn sealing?" _Cough, _the man who'd given him an elaborate hickey,_ cough!_

Undo, undo! No more defecting Uchiha, damn it! "Look, kid, I'm not gonna waste my time with someone who's just gonna learn enough to kill someone, and then drop it."

Sasuke's irritation lessened somewhat, "I don't just quit. I _want_ to learn sealing."

"You want an apprenticeship with the Toad Sage?" Jiraiya repeated Sasuke's words from before.

Sasuke nodded, not looking away from the man's searching gaze. A few moments passed in which Naruto had to try hard not to look as tense as he felt. Sasuke wasn't Jiraiya's usual 'type'. He typically went for the ones looking to change the world - Nagato, Minato. Himself. Sasuke's personal goal for revenge wasn't something he approved of, either.

Naruto felt Jiraiya's eyes on him and clasped his hands together, "Ple-e-ease? And, um...when you're not busy...do you think I could sign the toad contract?"

Jiraiya sighed, "Fine," he turned to Sasuke, "We can give it a shot. Meet me in that - " - he gestured to the nearest clearing - " - training field tomorrow at noon. I'm not late like your sensei, either, so don't be tardy."

"Thank you, Jiraiya-sama." Sasuke bowed.

"Hear that, brat? Jiraiya-_sama._ _That's_ how you treat your elders, got it?"

"Whatever, ero-sennin," Naruto said, puffing his cheeks out in 'boredom', though the air in them was actually from a big sigh of relief. Sasuke was stuck here. "So, can I sign the summoning contract now?"

After a period of being told off and acting like he was the most hyperactive kid on the planet - and being a little bit scared that Jiraiya would spot something off and call him on the whole thing - he eventually got his name onto the toad contract and summoned a few tadpoles, and then Gamakichi, to whom he gave the fried crackers he'd had in his pocket for this very occasion.

Once Jiraiya had extracted a promise from both of them - "You, too, blonde-brat - you've got a lot to learn about toad summons, still." - to meet him tomorrow, he pretended to leave to take care of some business (said 'business' was probably 'research'), and the two male genin from Team Seven began walking home.

"Naruto."

"Hm?"

"Thank you."

Naruto raised an eyebrow, "What're you talking about?"

"You heard me. I know that you did most of the convincing back there. I...didn't really want to learn sealing in the first place."

"Hey, an apprenticeship doesn't mean _just_ learning about the one thing the teacher's a master of," Naruto said, "He'll teach you other stuff, too."

"I know," Sasuke said, "And now I'm going to be learning under one of the Sannin. So thank you. And...I know you think that if it wasn't Jiraiya, I would've picked another one." (Neither of them voiced which one that would've been.) "But I'm more loyal to Konoha than everyone seems to think. I promise."

Naruto smiled - genuinely. "Glad to hear it. Wouldn't want anyone else at my back."

Sasuke went off towards the Uchiha District after that, at which point Naruto realized what just happened.

Sasuke promised to stay.

Sasuke was _staying._

_He got Sasuke to stay!_

[-M-]

"Hinata!" he called, opening his apartment door and not bothering to kick his boots off.

"Ah! Naruto-kun!" she said, turning away from her visitor...Neji.

"Ah, a guest! What a surprise!" Naruto said, expression changing from the elation he'd felt at his realization to his somewhat creepy fake joy. "Can I help you with anything?"

"Hinata will no longer be living with you."

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly and pretended to be embarrassed, "Well, I wouldn't call it _living_ together…"

"If that's as well as you can act, it's pathetic. I could see through that without the Byakugan," Neji stated coldly. "As Hinata-sama has advanced to the next level of the Chuunin Exams, it is imperative that she receive additional training. Especially since she will doubtlessly bring shame to the Main Branch at her current skill level."

Hinata vs Ino. Not much of a fight there. Hinata vs Neji would be much more interesting.

"Well, can't she get extra training without us having to move half her things to an entirely different part of Konoha?" Naruto said, fake smile disappearing and a somewhat more normal expression taking its place. Neji seemed a little smug at having seen through the ruse.

"Her living here was only tolerated as it was obvious she would not be heading the Hyuuga Clan."

With each word, Hinata's expression became colder and colder, until her glare _penetrated._ She'd been unsure at his entrance (her slouch was completely gone, but she'd been fidgeting and backing up), but now she was straightening up, dropping her arms and letting them hang at her sides, and seeming to strengthen with the additional support his gaze was providing.

"Now that some sign of her perhaps being fit to advance has appeared, the Hyuuga would like to make sure this miracle does not go unheeded."

"Now, that's funny. Considering the two months that she's spent here have been better for her than _any _amount of time with you." Naruto said, voice going much lower than he'd expected. But he wasn't about to stop.

"Can you imagine _why_ Hinata advanced so much? What could she possibly do in such a cold environment? Hinata can feel - _that_ is her strong point!"

"Emotion has no place in a shinobi," Neji retorted.

"Maybe not on the battlefield, or even with a client. But in training, or studying - _definitely_ in interactions with other Konoha nin - emotion _has_ to be there. No matter how much shinobi try to be tools, they're people. _Nothing_ will get done if you go about it with no emotion." He paused.

"Hinata!"

"Y-Yes?"

"What do _you_ want to do?"

She blinked in surprise, then turned to Neji, "I know I need training in Gentle Fist, and I will accept it. But there's no need for me to start spending all my time at the compound. I can m-make the journey there and back here with no trouble."

Neji looked like he smelled something foul, "Your father will not be pleased."

"I'll deal with that." Hinata said firmly, white eyes meeting Neji's head-on.

Neji stood there and processed that for a few seconds, then bowed stiffly to both of them and took his leave. Once the door closed behind him Hinata let out a huge sigh, accepting a tight hug from her boyfriend.

"You okay?" he asked her.

"I think so," she responded, arms coming around his waist.

"Good, because that was freaking hot," he said with a grin, and stifled her giggles with a kiss. "I wonder if you'll look that cute when you get mad at me."

"Don't make me mad!" she said mock-yelling and letting out the same elated laughter Naruto had been enjoying just a few minutes earlier. It was just a good night all around.

…

...

A/N: Another short and slow chapter. I'd like to start writing for real - especially since the big stuff is really coming now, but I'm having difficulties getting the proper programs to do it. Sorry for the wait.


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